A variety of factors, including increased charity care and bad debt among patients, increased the level of unpaid care in Wisconsin hospitals to about $2 billion in 2025, according to a new report by the Wisconsin Hospital Association.
The WHA’s Uncompensated Health Care Report, an annual survey of Wisconsin hospitals, said the trend, which involved more than 2 million unpaid patient visits in 2025, is likely to continue this year.
The unpaid visits in 2025, which represents a 15% increase over 2024, were almost evenly split between charity care and patients unable to pay their bills.
